Logo provided by the Coalition of Students Against War. Coalition of Students Against War.
By the Coalition of Students Against War
On Tuesday, Jan. 7 2020, Western’s Coalition of Students Against War (CSAW) organized a peaceful protest to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran and Iraq as they face discrimination at the hands of American Imperialism. CSAW consists of Western’s Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights, Middle Eastern Student Association, Shred the Contract, Students for Ethnic Studies, Muslim Student Association and Blue Group. This event was held in Red Square, where the student protestors successfully caught a lot of attention. Many folks walking by were invited to join the protest with signs and chants about keeping American troops out of Iran, taking existing troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan and denouncing racism and war. Protestors were accompanied by several peacekeepers whose role was to keep it a safe place for protestors by asking folks passing by not to photograph anyone and calmly mediating any potentially unsafe interactions.
The purpose of the protest was to show support and advocacy for people in our community who will suffer most from the consequences of Trump’s recent actions killing Iran’s major general, Qassem Soleimani, in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq. In doing so, Trump seriously escalated the pre-existing 70+ year tension between the governments of the U.S. and Iran. It is important to note that Soleimani was one of the top figures in Iran’s religiously affiliated parliament, which has caused many economic, social and political struggles and divides among the Iranian people.
Iranians have historically been fighting against the discriminatory rulings of Reza Shah Pahlavi’s monarchy and the current Islamic regime. Both of which are products of U.S. and British governments meddling in an attempt to influence the government of Iran and steal oil. This protest simultaneously showed support for the US staying out of Iran’s politics and economy, but also for the freedom of Iranians from discrimination within their own community. Recently, up to 200 Iranian-Americans were detained in Blaine, Washington at the Canadian border. This information was shared in a speech presented by two of the main student organizers. There were also people helping by handing out flyers giving basic information on the situation to catch people up. In the end a rough estimate of 40-50 people were present to peacefully protest and give more power to marginalized voices.
Recently, up to 200 Iranian-Americans were detained for questioning in Blaine, Washington at the Canadian border and some Iranian-American Students with valid Green Cards across the country were deported. And this number is likely to continue to rise. This information was shared in a speech made by two of the main student organizers during the protest.
Iran is one of the largest and most populated countries in the Middle East and it is the home of various races, ethnic groups and religions such as Black people, Afghans, Armenians, Tajiks, Turks, Kurds, Pars (Persians), Azaris, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Baha’is and many more. These people are now at much higher risk of discrimination, detention and deportation regardless of their race, nationality, ethnic background, religion or political views, as long they have some sort of connection back to Iran.
We know that in the past during times of war escalation, the U.S. has taken horrible, discriminatory and illegal actions against its own citizens. We need to be in solidarity as a community to prevent things like this from happening again. We also know from history that peaceful protesting does make a difference. It matters that we as a people show that we are not complacent with racist, unjust wars serving the needs of a few powerful people.
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